Breaking Tradtion: A Draco Malfoy Story
by Scarlet Sommernight
Summary: The part of Draco's life you never saw is revealed here in this story. He wasn't always the coward he seemed, and maybe he was only so cold-hearted to non-pure bloods because that was what was expected of him. Maybe, deep down he was a softer person.
1. 1 A Park Bench In London

5

**Chapter 1: A Park Bench in London**

A 16 year old Draco Malfoy sat at his dining room table. The walls were dark, matching the rest of his house. He pushed some breakfast around on his plate miserably. His mother sat across from him. There were heavy bags visible under her eyes which were puffy and red. She too was fiddling with the food on her plate. They rarely talked anymore, even though they now had the house to themselves, except for the visits from Draco's aunt Bella. Draco's father was arrested three weeks before, so he was absent from the house now. He sat rotting away in Azkaban while his wife and son sat silently at breakfast. It had been a half an hour when Draco decided he had enough of his mother's constant silence. He was bored and felt like he would soon go insane if he stayed there. He suddenly pushed himself up from the table. Narcissa's eyes shot to him at once and she spoke in a soft voice, "Where are you going, Draco?" As he strode to the gigantic, ornate fireplace against the wall and grabbed some flu powder, he answered with annoyance in his voice, "Borgin and Burke's. I need some air." He hated being stuck in his gigantic house, so lonely. His mother was sad all the time. If she wasn't crying, she wasn't making noise at all. Narcissa had nothing to say to him. She stared back down at her food with a hurtful look on her face as her son stepped into the fireplace, muttered some words and disappeared.

Draco appeared in the fireplace of Borgin and Burke's, a store which he was so familiar with. He briefly looked around with disinterest at some of the odd items the store always had in stock and then left through the front door. He walked down narrow paths of Knockturn Alley. The lopsided, towering buildings cast shadows that covered the walkways completely. Draco moved at a swift pace, ignoring an odd wizard that was shaking uncontrollably and shouting, "Help me, young man. Please! Please! Someone help me!" Finally he reached Diagon Alley. His friends Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle were standing across the uneven, cobblestoned street near Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Draco stopped dead. He didn't want to be seen. He used to relish in their company. Normally Pansy would hang onto Draco's every word. She made her crush on him painfully obvious, while Crabbe and Goyle were Draco's regular lackeys. They took orders from him like they had no minds of their own. Recently, though things had been more awkward between them all. Crabbe and Goyle's fathers were sent to Azkaban the same night Draco's was. No one really knew what to say to one another anymore. They were all miserable and Pansy just hung around in hopes of seeing Draco. He got a sickening vibe that she thought her presence would make Draco happy again. To avoid the situation, he quickly made his way past them as a crowd of school-aged girls shielded him from their view.

He strode into The Leaky Cauldron. People stared at him. Draco was sure he knew what they were thinking. Their faces said it all. _That's the Malfoy boy. His father is a convicted death eater. _The whole Malfoy family was used to being on top of the social pyramid, but now that his father had been caught in the department of mysteries doing Voldemort's work, they had lost many people's respect. Even people Draco considered to be low-lives acted better than him now. He hastily left through the front door before anyone else noticed him and gave him a judgmental look. He gazed out at the busy London streets. People walked past him, completely ignoring the pub like it wasn't even there. Draco felt almost like he too wasn't there. Recently he had loved this feeling. Before he loved being the center of attention, but now he wished people would forget he had existed. He walked down the gloomy street, his mind lost in thought. He kept remembering the last few weeks.

His aunt Bella, who he just recently met, had been meeting with Voldemort since she broke out of Azkaban earlier that year. Whenever Draco caught her and his mother talking, it would always be in hushed voices in the parlor. He heard part of their conversation one night.

"The Dark Lord wants him. Think about it, Cissy. He could bring your family back in good standing." He could hear his aunt saying to his mother.

"I don't know, Bella. He's just a boy! He so young…"

"Cissy, it is an honor that the Dark Lord would choose him. An _honor_… He's the only one we have who is close to Dumbledore. He's the only one who can do it!"

Draco shifted his foot and the floor underneath creaked. His mother and aunt stopped talking immediately and Draco knew they heard him. He walked further into the room where they could see him. His mother gave him an anxious smile. He knew she was wondering how much he had heard.

Bellatrix finally spoke, "Draco, what are you doing up?eH You should be in bed."

"What were you two talking about?"

His aunt flashed him a crooked smile, "Nothing that you should worry about. Off to bed now."  
>Draco gave his mother one fleeting look. She ignored his gaze with a guilty look upon her own face. He made his way back to his room.<p>

_What could she possibly mean? _ This question haunted Draco every day since he had heard the conversation. _I'm not close to Dumbledore. I hate that stupid oaf and he knows it, I'm sure. How am I supposed to get anything done involving him? _

Draco suddenly realized he was daydreaming when he reached a bench sitting on the sidewalk. He took a seat and rested his face in his hands. In the back of his mind he thought knew what Voldemort wanted him to do, but the flicker of the thought made his stomach turn. Draco knew Voldemort had wanted Dumbledore dead almost as much as Harry Potter. His mind could finally admit it: _He wants me to kill Dumbledore._ Just the words running through his head made him sweat. He had such doubts in himself. _My mums right. I'm too young to do something so important. _He thought to himself.

Just then he heard someone stop next to him. He lifted his head partially to see a young woman with reddish brown hair and light skin was standing near the bench. "Excuse me." She said with a surprising American accent. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He simply shook his head and returned his face to his hands. She sat next to him. He could feel her gaze burning a hole in him. He didn't need anyone else judging him. That's why he came to the streets of London in the first place. Muggles didn't know who he was… they would ignore him like he wanted. A miserable smirk made its way across his face as he thought, _every muggle in this city can ignore me except the one who has to sit next to me._ He decided to get up and leave, but before he could even move to stand, he heard her let out a small gasp. He turned to face her and noticed she was staring at his pocket. She noticed him staring at her and she closed her mouth quickly and turned forward again. He squinted at her, "Something wrong?" She looked over at him hesitantly. She leaned close to him and whispered, "You're a wizard. I can see your wand poking from your pocket there." Quickly, he shoved his wand deeper into his pants pocket as he mumbled, "So you're not a muggle after all. Out of all the people for me to meet when I'm looking to blend among muggles it has to be a witch."

"Why are you trying to blend with muggles? Are you in trouble or something?"

He shook his head, "I just don't want to be around people who know me. Tired of them is all."

She let out a small sigh, "I'd give anything to be around people who know me. I don't know anyone around here…"

"I can tell. You don't sound very British."

"I'm not… I moved here a few weeks ago. I'm living with my aunt and uncle for now."

Draco was compelled to ask her what her family's name was to compare blood statuses, but he was sure if he told her his she would eventually know about his father's imprisonment, and he was too ashamed.

Her voice finally broke the silence, "Tough times here I noticed. I've been hearing rumors about He Who Must Not Be Named coming back. My uncle doesn't really know what to make of it. Do you think it's true?"

He sat silently for a moment. He barely nodded, "Yeah I reckon it is."

"I don't really know too much about that. It's not really leading news in America. But my mother did say before that it was scary last time he was about."

Draco didn't answer, and they sat in silence for a moment until the girl finally introduced herself, "I'm Amelia by the way. Amelia Sparks." He thought to himself for a second about her last name, but it wasn't familiar to him. Eventually, he answered, "Draco…" He almost said his last name, but if she had just been reading the Prophet or overhearing gossip she could recognize it and about his father. Draco was too ashamed even for a near stranger to know.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Draco." Her eyes skimmed over him, fully taking him in for a moment. Then they switched to a nearby store. He noticed her looking over there, but didn't say anything. There was another moment of an awkward silence before Draco piped up again.

"Erm, so if you ever need someone to show you around just send me an owl. I live in Wiltshire."

He didn't know why he said that. He didn't know why he felt compelled to spend more time with her. Maybe it had something to do with her not knowing him, not judging him, not trying to impress him. Just someone he could be himself around. Someone he could start new with.

"Thank you. I think I will. So, Draco from Wiltshire… is it nice there? I live here, in London."

He shrugged, "Nice enough."

The conversation suddenly stopped. Amelia looked over at the nearby store and smiled. A woman with shoulder length blonde hair walked out holding a shopping bag. She headed over to where Draco and Amelia sat and stopped next to them. Amelia smiled at her as she introduced Draco, "Aunt Emilie, this is Draco. We just met." Draco straightened up right away and extended his hand to her, "It's nice to meet you." Emilie shook his hand and gave him a brief smile. She then turned to Amelia, "Ready to go, dear?" Amelia nodded and stood up. She flashed a smile to Draco, "I'll be sending you an owl soon so we can get together for that tour." Her aunt ushered her away up the street. Draco sat alone once again.

It had been two weeks since he had met the girl with the reddish hair. He hadn't left his house since that day. It had been raining almost nonstop. He sat in one of the towers of his home, staring out the dingy window. Rain pounded against the glass like someone was washing it with a hose. There was a knock at the door and his mother came into the dusty room, followed closely by his aunt. The walls were covered in paneled cherry wood and the floor was a dark chestnut. Shelves littered the room and boxes were placed randomly on the floor, within them various storage. They wandered over to where he was sitting and sat on boxes beside him.

Narcissa spoke first, "Draco I have such good news." He didn't answer her, merely just looked at her. She shifted uncomfortably, "The Dark Lord wants to make you one of us, Draco. He wants you to be a death eater." She gazed at him with underlying hope in her eyes. When he didn't say anything his aunt Bellatrix joined in, "You should be happy. This is an honor that the Dark Lord himself would invite you to be one of us. It's an insult to be anything but happy." Draco slowly turned to the window again to look out at the gloomy yard. Finally, he spoke, "I am happy… honored. Of course I'd love to be a death eater…" A sigh of relief came from his mother. She moved to him and gave him a tight hug as she whispered in his ear, "Your father would be so proud if he knew. _So_ proud." Draco looked over at his aunt who shot him a momentary suspicious look. They stood and walked out, closing the door behind them.

Draco pressed his forehead against the cold window as he stared into space. He wanted to be excited, but couldn't bring himself to be. If only his father was here. Maybe he could be happy then. Just at that moment he noticed a small speck in the sky coming closer to him through the rain and fog. Slowly he could make out its wings flapping roughly against the wind, and eventually its light brown color. The owl landed surprisingly gracefully on the other side of the window he was staring out of and pecked twice on the glass.


	2. 2 Something About the Chase

5

Breaking Tradition: A Draco Malfoy Story

Introduction: Draco is interested in being the new girl on the block's friend. She doesn't know about his family's new reputation, and won't judge him, which is all he wants. But when he gets into some trouble while he shows her around, will she want anything to do with him?

**Chapter 2: Something about the Chase**

Draco opened the tiny scroll that was wrapped around the owl's leg. It shook its feathers and small beads of water flecked onto his hands. For the first time in a long time he felt excited. Though he felt this barely, as he unrolled the scroll it grew. Then, suddenly the excitement disappeared and was replaced by slight disappointment as he saw handwriting he recognized. In poisonous green ink he read:

_Draco, _

_I have not seen you around in some time. It is not hard for me to admit that I miss you. I know that you have been through a lot this summer, but I was hoping we could meet one day this week. I promise I can make you feel better._

_P__ansy_

For one brief moment, Draco had forgotten what had just happened between him, his mother and his aunt because he had been more annoyed with just this one letter than he had been in weeks. He shooed the owl away, almost pushing it off the windowsill, as he slammed the window shut and threw the note across the room. His hands rose to his head and without knowing what else to do his fingers gripped his sleek, blonde hair. He took deep breaths through his gritted teeth. He wished with all his might that he would just disappear. He closed his blue eyes tightly and wished harder than he ever had before for anything in his life. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash behind him. He turned to see a lone, dusty mirror which was hanging lopsided, on the wall behind him had broken into a million pieces. The crash brought him back to reality and he realized his uncontrolled rage had broken the mirror. Slowly, he calmed. He knew he overreacted to the stupid letter, but with the built up anger and sadness he found it hard to control his emotions lately.

He knew he could not help it. There was too much stress in his life now. His father was away in prison, his family wasn't in good standing with anyone, especially the Dark Lord, his friends were annoying, his mother wasn't strong enough to give him much of any support, and his aunt seemed to be watching him all the time when she was home. There was no freedom from the anxieties of his life anymore. Even bullying and picking on people didn't make him feel better in the least.

He stood there, solitary as time seemed to stop for him to think. He felt so overwhelmed. Suddenly, there was a light tap on the window. Anger spread through his body as he turned to the dingy window to shoo Pansy's owl away once more, but the owl sitting there was different. It was a tiny, light brown owl. Its head bobbed from side to side, trying to get a glimpse of the room. Draco walked over to the window and opened it once more, with excessive force. "What now?" He said in an angry tone. The little owl lifted its leg and Draco took the tiny rolled up paper attached to it. Impatiently, he unrolled it. There, in light blue, small writing he read:

_Draco, _

_I was so happy to meet someone like me finally. If you're free this afternoon, I would like to get together for that tour you offered me. The rain should be letting up by then. I'll even buy lunch! Just meet me at the park bench we met at before around noon if you're free. I'll be there._

_Amelia_

For just one moment his troubles melted away. He barely smiled at the letter just before his mind brought him back to reality. There was someone who he could start fresh with. She wouldn't judge him or want anything from him. He could spend time with her and have an escape.

It dawned on him that he accidentally performed magic just then. Even though he didn't intentionally break the mirror, he wondered if the ministry would count it against him. He assumed they would since they knew about his father's involvement with Lord Voldemort. It didn't seem likely that he would be given any breaks. He then remembered what happened to Harry Potter the year before. He looked down at his watch. It was only ten, but if the ministry was sending an owl or someone he didn't want to be there when it happened.

He heard his mother's voice calling from down the stairs, "Draco? Are you coming to breakfast? I had the house elf make your favorite."

"No. I'm not hungry!" He shouted back.

There was no answer. He lied, he was very hungry, but he didn't want to stick around much longer. Then he heard the sound of high heels on wood steps and knew someone was coming upstairs to convince him otherwise. He hoped it was his mother, but he would be disappointed when he heard his aunt Bella's voice from the other side of the door.

"Draco? You should come to breakfast. Your mother wants to spend some time with you. She's going through a hard time. She needs you, Draco." Her voice was calm.

"I said I'm not hungry."

The door opened and Bellatrix entered the room, "Come downstairs to breakfast, Draco. We have important things to discuss anyway." Her voice sounded sterner and Draco could tell she was struggling to keep her patients.

He was afraid to annoy her further. She might stop him from leaving. Also, he didn't want her to notice the broken mirror behind him, and realize what had happened.

Draco sat at the end of the table where his father usually sat. A plate drifted in from the kitchen and gently set itself in front of him. It was filled with sausage and ham. His mother followed it into the room. Two more plates were floating directly in front of her, controlled by her wand. One was placed in front of Bellatrix and the other was placed across from Draco where his mother took her seat. He stared at the both of them with suspicion. _What do we need to discuss now?_ He thought to himself. No one spoke for a long while, so he decided to start the conversation. He had no time to waste.

"So, what's this all about?"

Narcissa smiled a wavering smile, "What do you mean? I just want to spend some time with my son. I hardly see you anymore."

He rolled his eyes, but before he could speak Bellatrix cut him off, "Draco, the Dark Lord wants to do your initiation tomorrow night. So don't make any plans."

Draco was speechless for a moment. He couldn't believe she had just come out with it. Now it was official, it was reality. He was going to be a death eater in just one day. He looked over at his mother and she quickly turned her face to a nervous smile of encouragement. Draco was sure he appeared uneasy now. He tried to protest, "But that's so soon."

His aunt snapped at him, "The Dark Lord is busy. You should bend your schedule to meet his." But she caught herself when she saw the look of fear and disapproval her sister was giving her. She changed her tone to a kinder one, "I just mean that it's not like you have plans, Draco. All you ever do anymore is sit upstairs locked away in some room. Let's give you something constructive to do." And she winked at him.

Her words were even more annoying when she was trying to be nice. He simply nodded and asked, "Can I go now?"

Bellatrix dug into her food and waved an uncaring hand. Draco stood up. He could feel his mother's eyes staring into him, but he was too annoyed to look at her without glaring. Though he was angry, he didn't want to cause his mother any more pain. He walked silently to the fireplace, threw some floo powder down and reappeared in the fireplace at The Leaky Cauldron.

He stepped out onto the street. The sun shone for the first time in weeks. It felt warm and comforting on his light skin. He walked down the streets, his shoes splashing in the still wet sidewalks. Eventually, he turned down the street with the bench. He knew he was early, but Amelia sat there anyway. She was reading a book, her reddish hair braided off to the side. Suddenly he realized he must look like a mess. He stood before a nearby shop window, fixing his clothes neatly and smoothing his hair back. He never felt the need to try hard to impress anyone before, but he wanted to be friends with Amelia desperately.

As he walked over to her, Draco casually slipped his hands into his pockets. As he approached her he cleared his throat in hopes she would hear him. Still though, she paid him no mind. _How interesting can that book be? How does she not see me standing here? _He thought to himself selfishly. He was not used to being ignored whether it was on purpose or not. He tilted his head downward trying to catch a glimpse at the book's cover. "Oh, Draco! I didn't see you there." He heard Amelia say. He straightened abruptly. "Uh yes. I am a bit early though, I think…" She turned to him interestedly, "So I see you got my letter. Do you like my owl? Cute, isn't he? My aunt Emilie took me to Diagon Alley yesterday and got him for me." He nodded in response, "Er yes, cute." Amelia closed her book, "So how about that tour?"

They walked across the cobblestoned roads in Diagon Alley together. Draco ignoring passerby stares and hoping Amelia didn't notice them at all. He pointed out stores along the way as they carried on a casual conversation. "So what brings you to London?" He asked her.

Her face showed a hint of sadness, "My dad… he's been raising me alone ever since I was little, but… he died recently. Before the school year ended actually…"

Draco was at a loss of words, "I'm… sorry."

She shook her head, "It's alright. I mean… thank you, but I'll be alright. My mom has been dead since I was a small child so there was no one else to look after me except my Aunt Emilie and Uncle Oliver. They were hesitant though with all the chaos happening in this country recently."

"So will you be going to Hogwarts then?"

"Yes… my aunt and uncle were pushing for me to go back to Salem Witch's Academy, but I got a letter from them saying I couldn't because I no longer live in America. Ironically I got a Hogwarts acceptance letter about an hour later."

He smirked and muttered, "Better off at Salem… Hogwarts has a less than adequate bunch of professors."

Amelia stopped outside the window of The Magical Menagerie as something interesting caught her eye. Draco stopped alongside her. Something else caught his eye however. He noticed a large man standing at the opening of an alleyway not too far away. He wore a long, dark cloak with the hood up. Draco thought that to be odd since it was so warm outside. It was then that the man's chin and mouth became exposed. Draco caught a glimpse of a wiry beard and pointed yellow teeth, which he could recognize anywhere. _Fenrir Greyback_ he thought to himself. He appeared to be looking around. _The ministry must have sent something to the house about my losing control earlier. Aunt Bella must have sent him. He's her right-hand man after all._ Draco thought this over in his mind for just a brief moment when he realized Amelia was staring at him, "Draco? Did you hear me?" Though she was speaking to him, she was staring right at the man Draco was just moments before. "He's creepy isn't he?"

"Er… Amelia I've got something to show you over here." He placed his hand on her back as to usher her away, keeping an eye on Fenrir, but he wasn't fast enough. Draco locked eyes with him and it wasn't long before Greyback was making his way through the crowds towards him.

Swiftly, Draco grabbed Amelia's hand and took off through the streets running. He heard a squeak of surprise come from her direction, but had no time to explain while dodging unsuspecting shoppers. "Draco! What are you doing?" He heard her demand. "Just follow me!" He yelled back at her, hoping deeply she would just go with it. They ran, occasionally bumping into people and causing a scene until Draco suddenly yanked her into a narrow alleyway and slid into a small niche where an old wooden door stood. It was quiet here. They could hear the distant sounds of people talking and laughing from Diagon Alley and the faint dripping of water coming off the roof somewhere above their heads.

"Draco, what is going on!?" She nearly yelled, piercing the silence.

Before he could even think his hand lifted and covered her mouth. He peered around the corner to see if Fenrir was anywhere close, but he saw no one. He lowered his hand, "I'm sorry… I think that man was after us… er… me, I mean." He gazed at her face hoping she wasn't about to yell at him. Her mouth opened as she was about to speak but before any words came out they heard loud footsteps coming down the alley towards them.e


End file.
